Scotland’s largest independent travel firm is investing £1m in opening its first branded store in the north east of England.

Barrhead Travel will create 20 jobs with the launch of the store in the intu Eldon Square Shopping Centre in Newcastle.

The outlet will have a foreign exchange bureau, an international flight centre and a bespoke travel service.

Barrhead Travel currently supports franchise branches trading independently in the north east but the Newcastle store will be the first branded store in the area.

The new store is part of the company’s ambitious plans for expansion across the UK, which were unveiled at the start of the year.

Sharon Munro, chief executive of Barrhead Travel, said: “As we grow and develop as a business, it’s vital for us to invest in job creation and in developing our reach in England.

“We have a strong network of stores across the UK and we believe that the north east is an area that will help us build on our success.

“We’ve had a very positive first half of 2015 and we’re certain that unveiling a store in Newcastle will strengthen our portfolio. The level of investment and the number of jobs we are creating demonstrates that we are continuing to grow the business and strengthen our team.”